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Jewish New Year/Day of Atonement

Tuesday, 26 September 2006

Last weekend was the start of something special for many people around the world. It was the beginning of a new month and a new year.

We've told you about Ramadan. Lucy looks at Rosh Hashana and why it's important for Jewish people.

Presented by Lucy Andrew (Episode 27)

Happy New Year! Many people celebrate the New Year on January the first.

Even though it's September Jewish people have just celebrated their New Year. It is on the first of Tishrei, the first month on the Jewish year. It's called Rosh Hashana and this first day of the year is thought to be when God created Adam and Eve.

REPORTER: The calendar year most people use is based on the time it takes for the earth to travel around the sun. The Jewish calendar is based on both the sun and the moon. Each month is based on the moon while each year is based on the sun.

The Jewish year and the sun year are different lengths. So every few years an extra month, the thirteenth month, is added to the Jewish calendar. Jewish people may still use an ordinary calendar for making appointments but they use the Jewish calendar to work out the dates of their Jewish and holy days.

Rosh Hashana begins at sunset the evening before.

LAUREN: Well at first we eat apples and honey. The honey signifies sweetness so it wishes us a sweet new year. We also blow the shofar, which is like a wake up call…to say wake up and it's time for judgment.

The shofar, which is a ram's horn, also calls the people to repent that is to be sorry for things they may have done or said and start the New Year afresh.

The New Year, Rosh Hashana, is the beginning of the ten days of repentance. It's a time to remember God and the good things we do in life. At the end of the ten days Jewish people celebrate Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year.

MUSHKIE: Rosh Hashana is like when the book of life opens and Yom Kippur is like when it closes.

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement or Forgiveness, when people try to make up for anything bad that they've done. They ask friends they've wronged for forgiveness and they ask God to forgive them if they've done wrong to Him.

It is also when God judges if you'll have a good life next year…or not.

JACQUI: On Yom Kippur all the children who are over twelve** and all the adults ... you don't eat or drink so you can pray all day. 'Cos it's the time when our God seals the book of life which is when he's finished judging your past year.

MUSHKIE: It's the day when we pray for a good year; we pray for whatever we need, we pray for whatever is important for us.

**Please Note - Jewish girls are considered to be adults at the age of 12 years of age while for boys it is 13. When Jewish people reach adulthood they are required to participate in the Yom Kippur fast.